Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are…Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect Tomorrow.One day I shall dig my nails into the earth,or bury my face in my pillow,or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the skyand want, more than all the world, your return.

- Mary Jean Iron

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Trying to Find My Voice Again

Thanksgiving. Wonderful. A blur. Honestly it was all just a little lost to me this year. I definitely enjoyed having family here. I think the meal was okay. (Yes, truly "okay" though I hope it was better than that). With Hanukkah here the night before it was all just a lot squeezed into a very short time span. I'm not sad that that will never happen again.

Today, I've had turkey carcasses simmering all day long in preparation for stone soup. Okay, the name around here is definitely "cream de carcass" no matter how much I loathe it, but no matter what you call it, it's absolutely wonderful. Rich, full bodied and full-flavored turkey stock, half and half, wild rice, carrots, celery and turkey. Awesome. Paired up with an excellent loaf of bread tomorrow it will be the perfect dinner. It will also be nice to have turkey stock waiting in the freezer for the next time the craving hits. If you haven't tried it yet, you really should. It still makes me sad when I think of all the years we just tossed the turkey when we thought we were done with it.

Looking ahead to the week I think we'll be trying some Tetrazzini and perhaps a turkey pot pie. I'm craving Eggs Benedict, that might work itself into the menu. Honestly I'm not sure what else. The freezer is stocked so I'm sure we'll be eating yummy stuff. Probably tomorrow or Tuesday I'll get serious about creating an actual plan.

Trite, I know, but I cannot believe it's actually December. It must be though, the candles in the menorahs are burning, the elf needs moved, ready or not the holidays approach. I'm going to try very hard to find the balance this year between being too relaxed and zen (read: nothing gets done) and being so obsessed that I don't find the time to enjoy things. I have not done anywhere near the shopping that I normally would have by this time, honestly, I'm struggling to come up with ideas for the kids, not a position I find myself in often. My mom's having surgery just before Christmas, that's going to require lots of flexibility as well as lots of planning, ideally we'll have all our traditions done by then, so I can go see her or be on call if she or my dad need me, yet that only gives us two weekends to get things done which takes my breath away a bit. Beginning of January Mark and I are going away, our kids have gifted us with a weekend away, so there's lots to look forward to there as well. I have a feeling it's going to be a ying/yang kind of month and I'm going to do my best to prioritize, let go of what doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, fight to make happen the things that do matter and most of all try to keep the balance. Wish me luck.

Hope your holidays were all that you'd wish them to be, surrounded by friends and family that you'd choose to surround yourself with.

4 comments:

A weekend away is a fabulous gift - I hope my children give me a gift like that one day. I know how you feel about trying to find the balance between getting it all done or doing very little at all. I want to have a lovely Christmas build-up but I don't want to make myself too stressed about it. Here's hoping for some middle ground. Hope you find it too.

The holidays are supposed to be so wonderful but so much chaos always sneaks in, doesn't it. Crazy. I wish I had more time to sit back and drink it all in. Alas, we are busier than ever. As is everyone else, I'm sure.

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The basics

Confused??? The Players

Mom24--Mom to four. Yeah, I know, confusing. I got nothing, once upon a time it seemed like a good idea and now I've used it too much to change. Sorry. :)

Mark--My hubby

Jason, Lori, Matthew & Lily--Our oldest son, his wife, their son and daughter.

Rebekah--Our 21 year old. She's a senior in college--we're all learning to navigate not having her here. She's great student, a great kid, and a real joy.

Jacob--Our 13 year old. I've never seen a kid that liked to play with toys more. Jacob loves to have fun, he's sensitive and caring and terrific to have around.

Julianna--Our 11 year old. Julianna loves to dance and do art. She likes all things American Girl. She likes to play school and is ALWAYS the teacher. She loves to do lists and crossing things off. She's definitely going to be a CEO someday.